Nathan Littauer nurses approve new contract

GLOVERSVILLE, Nov. 15, 2011 – Registered nurses at Nathan Littauer Hospital tonight overwhelmingly approved a new three-year contract containing provisions that are designed to help the hospital retain experienced RNs and recruit new hires. The RNs believe the contract will help rebuild the strong and collaborative partnership they’ve had with the hospital for several decades.

Highlights of the agreement:

Staffing – Within two months of ratification of this agreement, the vice president of nursing will meet once a month with a joint labor/management committee to discuss staffing issues, with the goal of improving patient care and safety.
Compensation – For 2011, each RN will receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of 1% within four weeks after ratification and a 1.75% wage increase. RNs with 10 or more years of experience will receive an additional 50 cents per hour. Wages will then increase by 1% each year in 2012 and 2013.
Workplace violence – A workplace violence prevention policy will be established to include the prevention of domestic violence in the workplace, including training.
Health insurance – The nurses were able to retain their current health insurance benefits, but the Hospital will no longer waive co-pays or deductibles for services obtained at the hospital.

In effort to end this stalemate, the nurses withdrew their requests for more staffing, and agreed to accrue less sick time when the current contract expires. Although this helped to resolve the conflict, this is the third contract in which the nurses provided givebacks – while during the same time period, the hospital’s finances have been in the black and executive salaries have increased.

The contract runs through Dec. 31, 2013.

The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.

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